Press Expresses Sadness, Offers Praise for Tien

Press reaction to Chancellor Tien's announcement in July that he will step down as chancellor no later than June 30, 1997 has been met with sadness over his departure, and praise for the exceptional leadership he has provided.

A sampling of recent local headlines: "Chang-Lin Tien Made His Mark," Oakland Tribune; "Cal is Losing a Strong Boss, An Avid Fan," San Francisco Chronicle; and "Tien admired as a great leader and a man of strong principle," San Francisco Examiner.

A Los Angeles Times editorial read: "Tien...is a champion fund-raiser...But more important than the loss of Tien the fund-raiser is the loss of Tien the academic leader, the student mentor, the education visionary who sees California's future promise and embraces it."

The Sacramento Bee wrote: "If the job was difficult for Tien, it may be even more difficult for his successor ‚ in part at least because Tien did the job so gracefully and so well."

Tien announced that he will step down as chancellor at a packed press conference at Alumni House July 9. Tien said he made the decision to spend more time to teach and work on research, and to spend more time with his family.

"I have chosen to leave next year because the campus is at a high point in its history," Tien said. "There in no better time than now for me to pass the baton."

Editor's note: Full coverage of the chancellor's resignation announcement appeared in the July 10 issue of the Berkeleyan, which is available online on the Campus News and Events web site at http://www.berkeley.edu/news/.